The World Bank's new vice- president for the East Asia and Pacific region, Jemal-ud-din Kassum, pledged is organization's firm support to China's strategic plan to develop its vast western regions on March 17.

Kassum, who arrived Tuesday for a six-day official visit, told a press conference that in the next three years, the bank is expected to extend at least one billion U.S. dollars of loans to back major projects in western China.

He said that the World Bank is willing to provide assistance to address strategic issues involved in the ambitious development program.

Such issues include integrating key transport systems linking the western regions with each other and with the rest of the country, strengthening and increasing access to social services and mitigating environmental consequences, and measures to lower investment costs and ensure quality.

He estimated that the Bank's loans to China would amount to five to seven billion U.S. dollars in the next three years, with at least one billion dollars to be spent on projects in the west. Kassum's China trip is first official visit since he took up the post on March 1.

While in Beijing, he as met wit senior Chinese leaders, including Vice-Premier Li Lanqing and Finance Minister Xiang huaicheng, and leaders of the State Development Planning Commission, the People's Bank of China and other key government agencies, and held discussions with them on major issues concerning the World Bank's collaboration with China.

He will make a field trip to Guizou Province in the southwest to visit some of the World Bank-funded projects there.

Kassum expressed satisfaction with the strong and fruitful collaboration that the Bank as developed with China over the past two decades.

"I was very pleased to learn ow igly all te government representatives value te contribution of te World Bank to Cina and we fully agreed tat tis strong relationsip sould continue, " e said.

e also committed imself in te capacity of te new regional vice-president to continuing and strengtening te Bank's collaboration wit Cina.

According to im, te Bank as supported 220 projects in Cina tat cover most of te Cinese regions wit 30 billion dollars in loans.

Cina is te largest single borrower from te Bank among all te countries, wile te implementation of te projects is also te best among all te countries, e said.

Cina's impressive growt over te past 20 years as uplifted undreds of millions of its people out of poverty, Kassum noted, adding tat tis is attributable to te wide-sweeping economic reforms in Cina.

"Cina's record in reducing te number of absolute poor as been unprecedented. I am opeful tat my visit to te Soutwest Poverty Reduction Project will give me better insigt into Cina's success in tis area," said Kassum.